I have gotten tons of inquiries and questions about hosting a Career Café. I am creating a series of posts to explain Career Café in greater detail and provide you with the tools you need to start a Career Café at your school.

First up...

Location, Location, Location

The first step in preparing to host a Career Café at your school is determining a location for the Career Café. When thinking about a space, you want to determine how many students you will be able to accomodate in the space.

When I first started hosting a Career Café, it was held in my co-counselor's office, a HUGE classroom. Utilizing tables, chairs, beanbag seats, and carpet space there was enough room to accomodate about 20+ students at a time.

Students at Career Café in my co-counselor's previous HUGE classroom/office.

The speaker was a branch manager from a local bank.

This past year, I hosted Career Café in the school library. I was able to accomodate approximately 30 students at a time. This setting was a little more comfortable for students.

Students at Career Café in the school library.

The Career Café speaker was a police detective.

When choosing a location, think about how you will set up the space for the actual presentations. Some presenters may want to use a whiteboard or SmartBoard for the presentation. The presenter may also want to use a PowerPoint or show visual aids.

Also, make sure the space is a place where students can eat lunch (if you decide to host Career Café during lunch).

It is completely OK to start Career Café off in a small space and make it larger as you go! Finding a space that works for your students, presenters, and you is the first step to creating a successful Career Café.

Suggestions of where to host a Career Café include:

classroom

school library

large group instruction room

large conference area

science lab

Have you hosted a Career Café? What locations would you recommend for hosting a Career Café?

This post is the first post in a series of how to host a Career Caféat your school.

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About the Author

I am a middle school counselor and founder of School Counselor Blog, a place where school counselors share innovative ideas, creative lessons, and quality resources! I am a doctoral candidate in the Counselor Education and Supervision program at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA.